


Black and Silver

by SirPrize



Series: Carmilla Week 2017 [5]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: 7 Days of Carmilla, Carmilla Week, Carmilla the mermaid, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Hollstein - Freeform, beach, bit of angst, mermaid au, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 16:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11695818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirPrize/pseuds/SirPrize
Summary: Carmilla Week 2017Prompt 5: BeachSummary: Most people associate the beach with holidays or ice cream or surfing or something. For Laura, it’s a little different.For her, it’s a place of friendship, love and heartbreak. Most importantly, it’s where her best friend saved her from drowning. It was where their hearts broke. Eventually, it became the place their hearts healed as well.





	Black and Silver

**Author's Note:**

> Yo, Creampuffs! Day five, we’re getting closer and closer to the end, guys. 
> 
> Fair warning, this one wound up kinda long. You ever have an idea and then you start writing and you have 493 more ideas? Yeah, that’s kinda what happened.
> 
> This is also the only one I got to smartassducky in time for her to look over, so a shout-out to her.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think, Creampuffs!

Laura had always loved the beach. Sure, most people did because it was a part of nature and they associated it with vacations, going outside and sunshine and ice cream. Laura associated it with all of that too, of course, but it wasn’t why Laura loved it.

Laura loved it because it was where she was saved from drowning by her best friend.

It happened when she was just seven years old. Even the most attentive parent can lose focus for a while and, despite her father’s paranoia, he wasn’t looking when a large wave washed over little Laura and the current dragged her under.

Scared and disoriented, the little blonde flailed and tried to break the surface even though she wasn’t sure which way was up anymore. Just as a her lungs began to burn, tiny hands grabbed her arms and something powerful dragged her away.

Laura gasped when her head broke the surface and flailed to stay up there. She took in deep, desperate breaths of sweet, sweet air even as her bottom lip began to tremble. The fear and confusion soon found her sobbing while trying to tread water, which were two things that were surprisingly difficult to combine.

Suddenly there was a splash next to her and then a girl’s voice spoke up. “How stupid are you?”

Laura awkwardly turned to find a pale girl about her age in some sort of black shirt that looked very different from the little blonde’s own clothing. She had long, black hair with seaweed stuck in it. Also, she was glaring at Laura. “Why would you go this far out when you can’t even swim well, Stupid?” The girl asked rudely.

If anything, Laura only cried harder because everything was awful and now someone was being mean to her too. “I-It’s not my fault! There was a wave and…and it was really strong and I was spinning and I was underwater and up was down and I couldn’t breathe and I don’t know where I am and…”

“Geez, what are you, a baby?” The girl groaned and pointed over Laura’s shoulder. “The beach is right there, see?” Laura had been dragged out much further than she thought, but she could still see the beach in the distance. “Why are you still crying?”

“Why are you being mean to me?” Laura tried to throw her hands up, but nearly went under again in the attempt. The dark-haired girl seemed to find that very funny. “I could have drowned!”

Suddenly the girl stopped laughing and her eyes widened. “Oh. I…Sorry. I didn’t know humans could only hold their breath for such a short time.” She tilted her head and gave Laura a confused look. “Why do you even go in the water when you can’t swim well and you can’t breathe properly?”

“What are you talking about?” Laura asked, trying to wipe away her tears. This girl was either still being mean or just really weird. “What do you mean humans?”

The dark-haired girl smirked and suddenly a tail with a wide fin at the end rose out of the water next to her. “Do I look human?”

“HOLY CRAP YOU’RE A MER-BLUBBBLRLR” In her excitement Laura forgot to keep treading water and she sank like a stone.  
Exasperated, the pale mermaid dove after the little blonde and dragged her over to a sandbank. “Here.” She muttered, unceremoniously shoving the girl on to the sand. “Maybe this will keep you from drowning for five minutes, Stupid.”

“My name’s Laura.” Laura protested, still spitting out seawater. “Not all of us can be mermaids, you jerk.”

“That’s true.” The girl grinned and leaned her upper body on the sand, her tail splashing in the waves behind her. “Some people are just better than dumb humans.”

“Humans aren’t dumb.” Laura wanted to pout and cross her arms, but her attention was drawn by the glittering of the mermaid’s tail. She was talking to an actual mermaid! How cool was that?! “Can I see your tail?” She asked with a shy smile.

The girl blinked in surprise, but after a few seconds of hesitation she nodded. “Eh, okay?” She turned a bit awkwardly and stretched her tail out so Laura could look at it. Her tail was utterly gorgeous. The scales were black like the mermaid’s hair with a few silver streaks and they glittered in the light like gems.

“Wow.” Laura ran her hand over the tail. The scales were kind of hard, but also flexible and they felt nice and smooth. “It’s so pretty.” She gushed, before looking up at the mermaid. “You’re really pretty.”

The girl blushed and looked away, her tail twitching. “Oh…eh, thank you. You’re really pretty too?”

Laura felt a blush of her own spreading over her cheeks and giggled. The mermaid was mean, but also kind of cute when she blushed. “What’s your name?”

“…Carmilla.” The pale girl finally answered.

“Nice to meet you, Carmilla.” Laura smiled politely at the mermaid. Her daddy would have been proud…aside from the whole drowning thing. “I have, like, a ton of questions but I really need to get back to the beach.” She looked at the sandy strip and sighed. That was going to be one hell of a swim.

Carmilla eyed her strangely for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Fine, if you don’t tell anyone that mermaids exist I’ll drag you to the beach, okay?” She offered, glancing at the beach as well. “Is your mom there?”

The little blonde felt her heart clench painfully and looked down at the sandbank. “Eh, no. My mom…she’s…she’s gone.” She muttered, tears stinging at her eyes again.

“Oh.” The pale mermaid looked genuinely guilty for a moment. “I-I’m sorry.” She looked down at the waves as well. “My dad died too.”

Both girls were silent for a while, neither knowing how to deal with a topic like this. Finally, Carmilla looked up and broke the silence. “So, deal?”

“Sure.” Who was going to believe that she’d met a mermaid anyway? It wasn’t like Laura had a lot of friends and they’d all call her a baby who believed in fairy tales.

Carmilla got them back to the beach in no time at all and dropped Laura off on a rocky outcropping, sheltered from view. “Okay, Blondie, we’re here.”

“Thank you so much, Carmilla.” Laura said as she climbed on to land. “I wish I had something to give you. I think Daddy brought cupcakes.” She pouted at the mermaid. “I mean, you were a jerk immediately afterwards, but you did save me.”

Carmilla laughed and shook her head. “I can’t stay. Mom’s probably already looking for me.” She turned and prepared to dive.

“Wait!” Laura cried. “Can I see you again? I live really close so I could visit.” She had not even gotten to ask the hundreds of questions milling around in her head. “I think it would be nice if we could be friends.”

The pale mermaid sighed and made the mistake of looking at Laura’s frightfully effective puppy-dog eyes. “…Okay.” She relented, looking over her shoulder as if she was expecting someone to be listening in. “But you really can’t tell anyone about me, okay? You gotta promise.”

“I promise.” Laura said, looking her new friend in the eye. “I won’t tell anyone.”

Carmilla gave her an unreadable look, as if she was trying to sense out Laura’s sincerity and finally smiled. “See you in three days then, Cupcake.” She quipped, before she dove underwater and vanished.

“My name is Laura!”

Thankfully Carmilla stuck around. Unfortunately, so did the stupid nicknames.

Every few days Laura would head to the rocky outcropping and find Carmilla already waiting. They played together, swam together and often Laura would bring some kind of human candy or baked goods which Carmilla would inevitably steal.

Laura, being Laura, of course also bombarded Carmilla with questions about mermaids which the pale girl grudgingly answered.

Yes, there were more mermaids. A lot, actually.

Yes, they had a city underwater.

Yes, mermaids could read and write though their writing was mainly runes.

Yes, they could go on land but Carmilla described that process as a complete pain in the tailfin without some sort of help.

“What’s breathing underwater like?” Laura asked one day as she lay on the outcropping, basking in the sun.

“Not all that different, really.” Carmilla muttered, turning a page of the book Laura had brought. Human literature had quickly become one of her favourite things, once they worked out they could just stuff the books in a plastic bag to keep the water from getting to them. “My gills just have to get more involved.”

“Wait, you have gills?” Laura asked as she sat up. “Can I see them?”

“How did you think I breathe, Cupcake?” Carmilla deadpanned. She took Laura’s hand and guided it to her neck. “Right here.”

Laura gasped when she felt them. Small, soft ridges in the flesh of Carmilla’s neck which she never would have noticed if she couldn’t touch them. “That’s kinda cool. You barely see them. Is this okay?”

Carmilla's eyes fluttered shut and she rested her head against Laura’s legs. “It actually feels really nice.” She mumbled. “Keep going, Cupcake.”

From then on, a lot of their days were spent with Carmilla’s head in Laura’s lap while the human stroked the mermaid’s neck.  
It was a very weird friendship, all things considered. They could only hang out a few days per week and they certainly couldn’t tell anyone about each other. They weren’t very similar either, as Laura was optimistic and friendly while Carmilla was a ball of snark.

Still, they did do some of the things normal friends did and it was nice. Especially when Laura needed someone to complain about her dad to.

Carmilla complained about her mother as well on rare occasions, but Laura still didn’t know what the mermaid actually did. Carmilla didn’t like to talk about her family. All she knew was that her mother was pretty anti-human.

Like, all humans are evil and merpeople should rule the world level anti-human.

And then Laura turned eleven.

A ship sank just off the coast under weird circumstances and a lot of people died. A few of the bodies that were recovered had clearly been fed on, which was weird because there were hardly any sharks in the area. It wasn’t the first time this had happened either.

Laura felt her stomach turn when she heard the news. Immediately she felt bad. It couldn’t be true. She had never asked what Carmilla ate, but it was probably just…fish or something. She didn’t kill those people.

She couldn’t have.

She didn’t.

That was the first time Laura ever felt tense when she came to the outcropping. As per usual, Carmilla was already waiting for her. There was seaweed in her hair again, but in a very intricate weave this time.

“Cupcake!” She gave Laura a wide smile and swam closer, clearly very proud of herself. “I did something really stupid but I think you’re-”

“Did you sink that ship?” The words escaped Laura and part of her immediately wanted to take them back, but she knew she couldn’t. Especially when she saw the guilt on Carmilla’s face. “Do you eat people?”

Carmilla swallowed. “Yes. To both.”

It was like a punch to the stomach. All of the air left Laura’s lungs and she sank down until she was sitting on the rocks, feeling faint. “You eat people.” She muttered numbly, staring into the middle distance. “You’ve killed people.”

“Laura…” Carmilla sighed and rubbed the back of her head. “I…What did you think we ate?” She muttered. “I thought you read about mermaids and…you never brought it up, so…”

She had, but she figured tales of sailors being dragged to the depths and devoured were just how people explained shark attacks or something back then. “I did, but I didn’t think that part was true!”

“No, just the parts you liked.” Carmilla grumbled.

“That’s not fair!” Laura barked, glaring at the mermaid. “Carmilla you’ve killed people! Eaten them! Am I supposed to just ignore that?!”

The pale girl’s tail splashed hard in the water in her frustration. “Yes, because I’m not going to say sorry for eating, Laura!” She snarled and for the first time Laura noticed how much sharper the mermaids teeth seemed compared to her own. “I just…They’re only humans!”

Laura’s glare could have cut through diamonds. “I’m human. Is that suddenly not good enough anymore? Were you just waiting for a good chance to eat me?”

“That’s not what I meant!” Carmilla snapped, rising out of the water as much as she could with tears of frustration shining in her eyes. “You’re my friend. I would never do that.” She reached for the blond girl. “Laura, do you even know what I’ve done to keep you-”

“I don’t think we should be friends anymore.”

The heavy, oppressive silence that followed was only broken by the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks. Finally, Carmilla spoke. “What?”

Laura hugged her knees to her chest and tried not to look at Carmilla. She had never heard the other girl sound so vulnerable and if she let herself cry like she wanted to, she would never be able to do this. “If…If you’re going to eat people, we can’t be friends.” She stated, voice trembling.

“Because I need to eat?” Carmilla asked, straddling the border between incredulous and furious.

“Because you kill people to eat.” Laura muttered, hugging her knees tighter. There was a difference, dammit. She wasn’t really sure what it was, but there had to be one.

“Wow.” Carmilla muttered numbly. “Wow, Laura.”

One look at the heartbroken expression on Carmilla’s face and all Laura wanted to do was take everything back. She wanted to wipe away the tears and say they could still be friends, as much to stop the mermaid from crying as to soothe the terrible pain in her own chest.

But she couldn’t.

Neither one said anything until a woman appeared from behind the rocks. “I did tell you this was foolish, Little One.” She was tall and had dark hair like Carmilla, but her skin was much darker. She wore no clothing, aside from what was essentially a red bikini top of the same material all of Carmilla’s clothes seemed to be made out of.

With a few strokes of her powerful, red and black tail she swam closer. “I told you they were selfish, vile creatures.” She drawled, glaring at Laura.

“Mattie…” Carmilla sighed, head bowed. “Must you?”

A hint of cruelty glinted in her eyes, but they softened when they looked at the younger mermaid. “No…No, I suspect Mother will have plenty to say.” She said with a sad smile. “Come. We’d best go meet her before someone else finds you and tells her the princess has been with a human all this time on top of everything else.”

Laura’s head shot up. “Princess?” As far as she was aware of, there had been a distinct lack of tiaras and dresses around here.

“Of course you didn’t tell her.” Mattie rolled her eyes. “Moppet, this is Mircalla Karnstein, crown princess to the merpeople.” She dramatically gestured at Carmilla, who was still pointedly not looking at anyone.

“I hate that name.” Carmilla muttered petulantly.

With a sigh, the blonde let her head drop back to her knees. She felt more betrayed than ever. “Anything else you didn’t tell me?” She muttered.

Carmilla didn’t answer. She just swam closer and dropped off one of the bagged books she’d borrowed from Laura. “I’m sorry we can’t be friends.” She turned angry, tear-filled eyes on Laura. “I’m sorry I ever saved you.” She swam backwards. “There’s something between the rocks there. Take it with you. Goodbye, Laura.”

With a splash Carmilla was gone and Laura had to swallow the sob that almost burst out of her chest. When she looked up, Mattie was still there and still glaring at her. “You’re a selfish, cruel child.” She sneered. “You don’t even know what she’s done for you, do you?”

Before Laura could ask, Mattie disappeared under the waves as well.

Laura refused to cry here. She refused to cry anywhere Carmilla might see her.

Robotically, she climbed to her feet and moved to the spot Carmilla had indicated. Resting in the shallow water between a few rocks was a pretty, blue orb that pulsed faintly with light. It seemed to be made of a sort of crystal with a wave like pattern and merpeople runes that had been carved into it with great care.

Clutching the orb to her chest, Laura ran home and went straight to her room. Only when the door was locked behind her and her face was pressed into a pillow did she let everything out.

She hid the orb under her bed. She had put it on her desk at first, but it constantly drew her eye and reminded her of Carmilla. In the end, she just threw it under her bed.

Unfortunately, memories of Carmilla didn’t vanish with it. Nor did the guilt and the doubt. Some days she wanted to run to the beach and just scream at the sea how much she missed her friend.

A friend who had lied to her.

A friend whom she had told couldn’t be her friend if she kept…well, eating.

It wasn’t fair. This whole thing wasn’t fair.

She missed Carmilla but she couldn’t miss Carmilla and it was all so stupid and unfair.

Thankfully, high school soon started. With it came distractions in the form of homework, new friends and a spot on the cheerleading squad which was surprisingly a lot of fun. The years rolled by and she never forgot Carmilla, but the memories began to hurt less after a while.

She just wished she could stop missing the other girl. As Laura grew older, she knew that she wouldn’t handle that situation the same way. Even if Carmilla eating people was still more than a little hard to get over.

She didn’t go to the beach much anymore, but sometimes it couldn’t be avoided. Like when the football team threw a party. Most of the cheerleaders would be there and Kirsch had personally invited her.

He was undeniably dumb and a bit of an asshole at times, but that was typically by accident and because his friends were egging him on. When he was alone, he was actually very sweet and thoughtful. Still an idiot, but a thoughtful one.  
Besides, at sixteen, she was supposed to be all about boys, right?

Yeah…the fact that she wasn’t was starting to worry Laura more than a little.

Her friends just seemed so much more…interested in guys like the football team. Aside from Lafontaine, but Lafontaine’s one and only love was science.

Still, Laura had never really looked twice at any of the boys she shared classes with. Not like she did in the locker room with her teammates at least…and that thought was utterly terrifying.

The party was an utter nightmare. Kirsch kept shooting her lovesick looks all night and putting his arm around her. Whenever he wasn’t near, all of her friends would gather around the blonde and whisper about how exciting it all was.

Laura didn’t feel excited. She felt nervous and trapped and the idea of Kirsch kissing her filled her with a whole load of nothing.

Eventually she managed to slip away to the one place she’d always felt safe…even if she hadn’t been there for years. With a heavy sigh, Laura sat down on the rocks and buried her face in her hands.

Her dad had never really expressed an opinion about gay people, so she wasn’t sure how he would react if she was…that way. She did know how her classmates would, though, and she wasn’t exactly in a hurry to subject herself to that.

A wave splashed a few drops on her, but she ignored it. When it happened again, she moved a bit further back.

Just as Laura was lowering her head to her hands again, an absolutely massive wave hit and soaked her completely.

Sputtering she combed sodden, blonde strands out of her face and muttered darkly about her luck and the person who had the gall to laugh at her.

Wait…someone was laughing at her.

She looked up to find an all too familiar face looking up at her, chin leaned casually on her hands. “You look like a drowned rat, Cupcake.” Carmilla said with a humourless smirk.

“Carmilla…” Laura muttered in disbelief.

The mermaid had only grown more beautiful. The baby fat had totally melted away, leaving her with a jawline that looked like it could cut steel. Her tail had grown longer and the silver streaks were more pronounced now. Also, Carmilla had stopped wearing a shirt and Laura had a lot of trouble averting her eyes.

The mermaid wore a black bikini top which clung tightly to her very appealing, pale breasts.

 _‘Oh God I’m gay.’_ Laura thought as her mouth went dry and her heart began to pound in her chest. _‘I’m very gay. Shit!’_ Suffice to say this wasn’t helping the whole gay panic thing.

The blonde only managed to stop staring when the mermaid snapped her fingers. “While it’s nice to see you quiet for once, you’re starting to worry me Cupcake.”

“I think I like girls!” Laura blurted. They stared at each other for a second before Laura groaned and ran a hand over her face, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.

A small blush dusted Carmilla’s cheeks, but she recovered quickly and rolled her eyes. “Flattering, Cupcake, but I was expecting something along the lines of long time no see or at least hello.” She drawled with a sarcastic wave.

That’s when Laura noticed the scars. Thick, jagged bands wrapped around Carmilla’s lower arms, with a few trailing up her biceps. When the mermaid noticed where the blonde’s attention had drifted, she quickly lowered her arms into the water and gave Laura a look that almost dared her to say something about it.

Laura chickened out. “I-No. Sorry, I’ve had a lot on my mind.” She tried to ignore the way Carmilla rolled her eyes at that.

“It’s…It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah…four years. Mother kept me busy.” Carmilla sighed.

“Five, actually.” Laura corrected with a raised eyebrow.

“Hm, how time flies.” Carmilla let out another humourless chuckle.

And then the mother of all awkward silences settled over them.

Honestly, part of Laura wanted to just leave. She had enough to deal with already and this awkwardness on top of everything else was not helping.

However, this was Carmilla. After five years, she was talking to Carmilla again. If she left now, would that ever happen again? Would she lose her friend all over again?

After a few moments of deliberation, Laura slowly stood up. Carmilla moved back from the rocks a bit, watching Laura wearily in a way that almost physically hurt the blonde to see. She walked over to the edge, pulled off her shoes and dangled her legs into the water.

Just like when they were younger.

Carmilla’s jaw muscles worked furiously for a moment and Laura just watched, silently begging her to just say something. However, Carmilla finally sighed and leaned her back against a rock a ways away from the edge and from Laura. “So, girls, hm?” She asked.

Laura sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I look at guys and there’s…nothing. Not like there’s supposed to be.” She groaned and shook her head. “Or like everyone is telling me there’s supposed to be, anyway. Fuck, Carmilla, I don’t know.”

The mermaid shrugged with a blatant lack of sympathy. “Okay, so try dating girls. I take it those do make you feel something?”

Laura blushed and bit her lip, which was enough for Carmilla to smirk triumphantly. “I think so, but…what if I’m just confused?” She ran a hand through her soggy hair. “What if I’m not actually gay and I bring all of this attention down on myself for nothing and I just make the whole thing more confusing and even if I am what does that mean for the rest of my life like my career and-”

“I don’t remember you being this much of a pussy before.” Carmilla bluntly interrupted. “Either you want to fuck girls or you don’t. You’re still you.” The first real smile of the night tugged at her lips. “Since when does Laura Hollis give a damn about what anyone says about her?”

Laura let out a laugh. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel flattered or offended. “It’s not that easy.”

“Of course not.” Carmilla scoffed. “Are you going to let that stop you? If you’re going to sit here and mope, excuse me if I’m not going to deal with your insignificant problems.” The mermaid paused and thought for a moment. “Actually, if you do the opposite and bring a girl here I might stay to give you pointers.”

This time it was Laura’s turn to roll her eyes. “Because you’re so experienced?”

The dark-haired girl gave Laura a look that made her feel particularly thick. “My species is 75 – 90% women, Cupcake.”

The blonde tried very hard not to think about that. Blushing, she shook her head. “Well, either way, I think I’d settle for knowing what it’s like to kiss a girl before any of that.”

“Meh.” Carmilla stretched out in the water, bobbing slightly with the waves. “Don’t expect too much from a first kiss, Cupcake. Boy or girl. I’ve seen the romance drivel you read.”

“If I recall, you read those too.” Laura fired back. She rubbed her arms, trying to warm up. It was a cold night and Carmilla dousing her really didn’t help. She looked at the bored mermaid and gathered her courage. “Carmilla, I’m sorry.”

The pale girl turned slightly to look at Laura, brows raised.

“I hate that you eat people…but I’m sorry I told you to just stop eating. I’m not even sure what my plan B for you was beyond starvation.” She shook her head and stared at the ground. “That was dumb and selfish. I’m sorry.”

For a moment she thought Carmilla wasn’t going to reply, but then the mermaid sighed. “I’m not apologizing.”

“I’m not asking you to.” Laura frowned and crossed her arms. “I just-It would be nice if, y’know, we could try to be friends again.” She fidgeted in place when Carmilla didn’t move…or speak…or react in any way. “I missed you. A lot.”

With a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul, the mermaid righted herself. “I’m still not apologizing,” she began, locking eyes with Laura “but I’m sorry too.”

“Good! That’s…That’s good!” Laura couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face, even though she was shivering now. She had her friend back! “And I really don’t mean to run out on you but it’s really cold and I’m really wet, thank you very much.”

She stood up and nervously smiled at Carmilla. “I’ll see you in a few days?”

Wordlessly, the mermaid raised herself up out of the water with her powerful tail until she was eye to eye with Laura. There was a strange look on her face.

“Carm?” Laura asked, before the pale girl reached out and tugged her into a kiss.

There was a lot of panicked flailing on Laura’s side before her brain caught on to what was happening and the fact that Carmilla’s lips were amazingly soft. She only got to kiss her back for a few seconds before Carmilla pulled back.

“Work with me here, Cupcake.” She teased as she pulled Laura closer. “At least put some effort into your first time kissing a girl.”

With that she pressed their lips together again and Laura was ready this time. When Carmilla’s tongue brushed her lips, she didn’t think twice about letting it in and when it tangled with own something deep inside of Laura melted.

This was amazing. This was right.

Finally Carmilla pulled back again, but Laura’s arms were around her waist and the blonde wasn’t ready to let go yet. She wasn’t ready for time to continue outside of this moment again.

“See?” Carmilla’s husky voice sent a shiver down Laura’s spine. “Not much to it.”

“Yeah.” Laura muttered in a daze, panting for air. “Not much to it.” Except there was. There was a lot to it.

With a wink, Carmilla slipped from her arms and vanished beneath the waves, leaving Laura behind still dazed and confused. _‘Was that just Carmilla’s version of helping?’_

Laura could at least claim that she had kissed a girl now. And liked it. A lot. Like, a worrying amount.

She was a little disappointed to find that Carmilla had been right, in a way. Nothing much changed just because she had shared an amazing kiss with the gorgeous mermaid. Life kind of went on as usual.

Lafontaine was the first person she told about her sexuality. Once the ginger was done laughing at the idea that Laura genuinely hadn’t known that she was gay they were nothing but supportive.

Bizarrely, Kirsch was the second. He had tried asking her out and she just didn’t want to lead him on. Of course, she could have lied but he looked so hopeful and he was just a puppy in human form when he wasn’t being a douchebag and it had just slipped out, okay?

For a few moments she had been sure he would tell everyone and she’d find homophobic graffiti on her locker tomorrow. However, once the initial disappointment had faded from his expression, he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and cheered how she was just like his ‘super cool aunt who owned a sick motorbike’.

Her dad turned out to mostly be relieved about the fact that this would reduce the chances of teen pregnancy. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel relieved or kind of insulted that he’d apparently been so worried that teen pregnancy could be a problem.

Her relationship with Carmilla slowly but surely improved again as well. The mermaid was tight-lipped about what she had been doing for the last 4 years, no matter how Laura prodded and needled.

It took two months before Carmilla would rest her back or head against Laura’s legs like when they had been kids, but the blonde had to bite back a squeal of sheer joy when the pale girl finally did it. Instead she silently combed her fingers through Carmilla’s hair, marvelling at how soft it was.

With the new school year came Danny. Beautiful, tall, sweet, kind, funny, brave Danny. Who was bisexual. She had helped Laura and Lafontaine put out a fire in the lab which the shorter ginger had somehow managed to start with two beakers of weird fluid and a nickel and from that a friendship formed.

That friendship led to pie dates, which led to real dates which led to glorious, glorious kisses. They were caught making out behind the gym one day, but Laura honestly couldn’t bring herself to care much. She really liked Danny and she wasn’t ashamed of that, nor did she want to hide it from anyone.

It was easy to be brave with Danny.

Carmilla wasn’t a fan, though.

“She’s like twice your height.” The mermaid remarked with an unimpressed look when Laura showed her a picture of Danny.

“I’m not that short!” The blonde protested, swiping at her friend. “You’re like an inch taller. Besides, it’s not like the height doesn’t look good on her.”

“Whatever you say, Cupcake.” Carmilla drawled , arms crossed under her chest. “It just looks like you’re dating the BFG. I think you’re gonna run into some logistical problems with the sex there.”

Laura blushed and stuttered for a few moments before she resorted to splashing the cackling mermaid in the face. Her opinion of Danny didn’t really improve much over the next few months, but then Carmilla didn’t really have high opinions on most things these days.

The little girl Laura had known had seen sarcastic, but this young woman was so hard and cynical at times and it really got under the blonde’s skin that she couldn’t figure out why. Carmilla sure wasn’t going to offer details.

Still, her opinion on Danny didn’t matter that much. She was perfectly happy with her ginger girlfriend and Danny was everything she wanted. For quite a while, at least.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure when that changed. The first year of her relationship with Danny was great, but then graduation began to draw closer, fractures started to appear and the perfect image wasn’t so perfect anymore.

Danny kept talking about going to colleges that were at least close together, but she was very set on the school she wanted to go to and no colleges anywhere near there offered a journalism program that wasn’t a waste of Laura’s time.

Still, that was just an argument that popped up a bit too often. Laura could deal with that. What she couldn’t deal with was how everything about their relationship seemed to…fade.

Danny was sweet and brave, yes, but she was also overprotective and sometimes almost condescending. Frankly, Laura already had her dad for the first part and she had no intention of accepting the second from anyone.

And yes, Danny could be so sweet, but sometimes she didn’t seem to understand that Laura just needed to do things for herself. Or by herself.

Worst of all, kissing Danny didn’t come with those warm, fuzzy feelings and sparks behind her eyes anymore. It was…empty. Numbing.

Laura so, so wished that she could say that she just wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she was. Laura was very sure what she wanted and it was dumb and stupid and impossible, but she wanted it so much. More than Danny.

She wanted Carmilla.

That had been its own little crisis. The mermaid was secretive and sarcastic and a downright nihilistic ass sometimes. But there was so much more to Carmilla.

There was kindness and love and caring there, underneath the snark. Carmilla was her oldest friend and, though there was more distance between them now, she still knew certain parts of the pale girl like the back of her hand.

If she asked a question, so long as it didn’t involve the 5 years they hadn’t spoken, Carmilla would answer honestly. To the point of being blunt, at times.

She was strong enough not to apologize for her feelings or her point of view, but she listened to Laura. She listened and she accepted the blonde’s view, even when she didn’t agree with it.

And when it got late, and Carmilla’s head was resting on Laura’s legs, she would look at her in a way that made Laura feel like all the light of the stars above had gathered in her chest to warm her from the inside.

…And okay, yes, it didn’t hurt that Carmilla was beautiful and wore basically nothing but a bikini top. In fact, it had led to a dream that had ensured she couldn’t look the mermaid in the eye for a week.

She’d been dreaming of swimming in the school’s pool, when something brushed her feet. She ignored it, but then it happened again once she reached the end of the lane. She turned to swim back when something grabbed the blonde’s foot and jerked her down under the water.

She came face to face with a smirking Carmilla and glared at her, but then the mermaid wrapped her arms around Laura’s waist. With the grin still in place, the mermaid leaned in and Laura couldn’t think of any reason not to do the same.

She sighed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Carmilla’s neck as the mermaid gently brought them above the surface and pinned Laura against the side. As the kiss grew more frantic, hands began to roam and the blonde happily helped her dark-haired lover tug off Laura’s swimsuit.

The dream ended just as Carmilla began to kiss her way down Laura’s body, promising to show her just how useful gills could be for things other than swimming.

Unfortunately, the waking world had none of that for the short blonde. All it had was ruined underwear, sexual frustration and a heaping dose of shame and guilt.

It would have been bad enough if it had just been the one dream, but she found herself missing Carmilla more and more these days. Even when she was with Danny and whenever she caught herself she just felt frustrated and guilty.

It probably would have been best to just stop seeing Carmilla, but Laura couldn’t even begin to force herself to do that. Their visits were basically daily affairs now and easily the best part of her day.

“Okay, I have a feeling I’m going to regret this.” Carmilla sighed, looking up from her plastic bag wrapped book and turning exasperated eyes on Laura. She was mostly draped over the blond human’s legs, only her tail still resting in the water. “What’s wrong? You’ve sighed five times in the last three minutes and I haven’t heard any stories about Xena, Doctor Who or whatever college you want to go to.”

Well, she couldn’t really tell Carmilla, now could she. Not only would the mermaid never shut up about it if she learned about Laura’s dream, the pale girl wasn’t really big on relationships if the stories of her…’study sessions’ with other mermaids was anything to go by. “Nothing’s wrong, Carmilla. I’m just tired.”

The mermaid’s dark eyes narrowed. “Cupcake, really?”

“It’s fine, Carmilla.” Laura repeated a bit more tersely this time. She busied herself with her phone, pretending to be absorbed in Twitter when Carmilla reached up and grabbed her wrist. “So are we just not talking to each other now?”

That lit a spark of anger inside of the blonde. “Okay, let’s talk.” She took Carmilla’s extended hand and tilted it so the scars on her arm were clearly visible. “Let’s talk about how you got these, because you’ve been ignoring my questions for ages.”

The mermaid quickly pulled her arm back and slipped off of Laura’s lap into the water. “They’re nothing, Cupcake.” She muttered, arms crossed. “Just an accident.”

“They wrap around your arms, Carm.” Laura glared at her friend. “If it was just an accident, why won’t you tell me?” When Carmilla stayed silent, her expression softened. “Carmilla, I just want to know because I care about you, okay?”

The mermaid looked very young and very vulnerable, huddled against her rock with her arms wrapped around herself. Her long, dark hair hung around her face like a curtain, hiding Carmilla’s expression.

“My mother…” She began haltingly. “My mother had this…stupid plan. The less you know the better, but…it would’ve destroyed everything. It would have wiped out humanity.” Teary eyes looked up at the stunned blonde through dark strands. “I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t . So I hid everything she needed to make it happen.” The mermaid let out a dry chuckle. “She was, well, let’s say displeased. Locked me up for five years, chained to a wall in my cell with these awful, rusty fucking chains."

Carmilla shuddered and seemed to huddle into herself even further. “If I moved too much, they dug into my skin. I had a nightmare at one point and I thrashed in my sleep and-” Her voice broke and she looked away, trembling. “Not a fun five years.”

Laura was fairly certain being stabbed in the chest would have hurt less and been less effective at breaking her heart. Five years in prison. So the day Mattie came to collect Carmilla, the day Laura broke off their friendship, Carmilla was imprisoned for saving her life. For saving everyone.

Guilt sitting in her stomach like a block of lead, Laura slid down from the rocks and into the water. She swam over to Carmilla and wrapped herself around the mermaid, drawing her head into the crook of Laura’s neck. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I’m so, so sorry, Carmilla.”

“Laura…” Carmilla clung to the other girl more tightly than she’d ever done, hands trembling against her soaked clothes as she cried silently.

Laura’s own tears ran down her cheeks and into Carmilla’s dark hair. “I’m so sorry.” She said again. “I know you didn’t do it just for me, but you saved me. You saved everyone and…and…” She kissed Carmilla’s forehead. “I hate her. I hate your mother. Please, please tell me you’re safe.”

Carmilla laughed softly through her tears. “I’m fine, Cupcake. As long as mother thinks I learned a lesson about loyalty, she won’t feel the need to repeat it.” She sighed, her breath warm against Laura’s neck. “Besides, Mattie’s looking out for me. I’m not going back there.” Her hold tightened. “That much I promise.”

They stayed like that until the sun set and Laura got so cold that the sound of her teeth chattering grew louder than the waves around them. Carmilla stayed burrowed in the crook of Laura’s neck, lips just barely brushing against her skin while Laura absently traced every single scar she could find on Carmilla’s arms.

Part of her was relieved to have finally gotten an explanation from Carmilla and part of her wished she had never heard it at all. Thinking about little Carmilla risking everything for Laura, only to find that her human friend wanted her to choose between eating and their friendship made Laura feel very, very small.

The thought of Carmilla eating people still turned Laura’s stomach and there was a silent agreement that it should never, ever be brought up again. However, that didn’t make the idea that perhaps the greatest acts of heroism Laura had ever seen was rewarded with nothing but imprisonment any easier to swallow.

It only made the situation with Danny worse as guilt piled on top of guilt and regret and frustration until her small frame couldn’t contain it anymore.

It only took a few more months for it all to blow up in Laura’s face.

An argument with Danny about college led to an argument about absolutely everything from Danny’s overbearing nature to Laura’s daily visits to the beach and by the end they were both shouting and crying and heartbroken.  
Well, one of them was.

Breaking up with Danny hurt. It hurt a lot. It just didn’t hurt as badly as Laura had once feared it would. In fact, in some ways it was almost a relief and Laura hated the part of herself that felt that way. Because she loved Danny. She did.

But there were a lot of ways to love someone…and staying in love with Danny was the problem. She had been in love with her, that Laura didn’t doubt, but it just didn’t last.

Hence why she found herself on the rocky outcropping that night, teary-eyed with a bottle in her hand and seriously drunk. Not just the sort of drunk where the room was spinning and she couldn’t quite remember the way home either, oh no.  
This was proper stumbling, slurred words and wild mood swings level drunk.

“And here I thought I’d never see you this wasted, Cupcake.” Carmilla drawled as she popped out of the water and rested her chin on her arms. “Fun night with the ginger giant or something?”

“Noooope.” Laura slurred with a drunken grin. “Goo’ news fer you. No more Danny!”

Stunned, Carmilla’s head shot up. “Eh, Cupcake? What are you talking about?”

“We broked up.” Laura said as she leaned in and tapped Carmilla on the nose. “Boop! But yeah, there was this biiig fight and now there’s no more Danny.” She shook the bottle. “There’s rum though, because I’m sad but not that sad and I felt sad about not being sad so I didn’t want to be sad and I thought what would Carmilla do and I got waaaaaasteeed.”

Carmilla’s expression kept cycling from bemused to baffled to worried and back as she watched her blonde friend drunkenly sway and babble. “Okay, I think the little Rum Cannoli has had enough.” She said, pulling the bottle from the protesting blonde’s fingers. “And you need to explain better because all I got from that was that you’re sad.”

“But not that sad.” Laura tried to clarify. “And then I got sad about not being that sad because I should be that sad and then there was rum and things were still sad but they were good because I couldn’t be that sad because of the rum.”

The dark-haired mermaid gave Laura an utterly exasperated glare before raising the bottle and downing about a fifth of it.  
“Hey!” Laura protested the blatant hypocrisy and blindly reached for the bottle.

“I’m way too sober to be dealing with this, Cupcake.” Carmilla drawled as she lowered the significantly lighter bottle. “So why are you sad but not that sad?” Her brow wrinkled in distaste at having to phrase it that way.

“You!” Laura dramatically pointed at the confused mermaid as she mood swung over to angry. “Your fault. ‘S aaaaalll your fault!” She leaned closer to Carmila and only kept from plunging headfirst into the sea because the pale girl caught her by her shoulders. “Danny was great and sweet and it was good.”

“What the fuck did I do?” Carmilla threw up her hands and gave her friend a highly offended look. “Creampuff, I wasn’t a fan of the height mixing thing, but your ginger girlfriend hasn’t even met me. Hell, she doesn’t even know I exist!”

“But you do.” Laura groaned. “And you had to be all pretty and mermaidy and snarky and sarcastic and jerk-ish and sweet and brave and pretty and secretly heroic which is the hottest kind of heroic and-” She paused and frowned, unfocused eyes narrowing in confusion. “Did I mention pretty?”

A light blush dusted Carmilla’s cheeks. “Yes, Laura, you told me I’m pretty.”

“Good. You have an amazing body.” Laura said with a level of sincerity only the profoundly drunk could reach.

Carmilla laughed. “Thank you, Creampuff. You’re not so bad yourself.”

“And your boobs are awesome.” Laura enthusiastically gestured at the mermaid’s pale curves. “Like, I want to live there. Never wear more than that bikini, please.”

Carmilla only laughed harder, shaking her head. “Okay, you are epically drunk and you’re going to regret all of this in the morning.” With a sad smile, she tried to push the blonde back a bit so she was in less danger of falling into the sea. “I think we need to get yo-MMPH”

Before Carmilla could react, Laura drew her into a needy, messy kiss. The pale girl froze at first, not responding until Laura’s tongue brushed her lips in a silent plea for entry. With a longing moan, the mermaid melted into the kiss and tangled her hands in Laura’s honey-blond hair.

Carmilla tasted salty, which wasn’t exactly surprising considering where she lived. However, underneath that taste there was something soft and sweet that set Laura’s body ablaze in the best way. She whimpered into the kiss, finally, finally free to let her hands wander every inch of her best friend she could reach.

Eventually Laura had to pull back just to breathe, but she didn’t get very far. The moment their lips separated, Carmilla’s hazy eyes drifted open and she shook her head. “No.” She murmured petulantly, like a child told to give up a favoured toy, and Laura would have laughed if the mermaid didn’t immediately pull her back into another kiss.

This kiss was shorter, if no less hungry, and ended abruptly when Laura felt something twist in her stomach. Alarm bells ringing throughout her body, Laura took her dazed mermaid by the shoulders as she caught her breath. “I want you to know that this is not because of you. Or because I kissed you.” Laura said, almost comically serious despite the fact that she was still wobbling a bit and slurring her words. “Kissing you was awesome and it needs to happen more. Like…all the time. Excuse me.”

And then she turned away from Carmilla and vomited into the sea.

That snapped the mermaid right out of her daze. “Oh, Cupcake, gross! I have to swim here!” She darted away from the contents of Laura’s stomach, the bottle of rum still in her hands. “Once you’re done polluting my home, could you explain what just happened because I feel like I’m trying to read a book and I’ve skipped 10 chapters.”

When Laura finally stopped dry heaving and retching, she flopped down on the rocks. “I’m sorry.” She muttered, her head lazily rolling so she could see Carmilla. “It’s just that things were good with Danny and I loved her.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that.” Carmilla muttered bitterly before she took another large gulp straight out of the bottle.

“I did!” Laura nodded rapidly. “But then I kept thinking ‘gee, I wonder what Carmilla’s doing’ and ‘would Carmilla like this’ and then it became ‘I wonder if Carmilla would kiss me again’ and I felt bad because I was supposed to think about kissing Danny.”

Laura shifted, trying to find a more comfortable spot to rest her head before she continued. “And then I had those dreams and it was all ‘I wonder what it would be like to have sex with Carmilla.” She frowned. “And then I got all confused and ‘can I even have sex with Carmilla’ because I’ve never asked. Do you have a vagina?”

Carmilla spat out her drink and Laura snorted with laughter.

“Fuck me, I think that’s the least sexy thing anyone has ever asked me.” Carmilla grumbled as she ran a hand over her face. The pale mermaid gave Laura a deadpan stare. “Yes, Laura, I have a vagina. You happy now, you little pervert?”

“Totally.” Laura yawned, her eyes fluttering shut. “Can we have sex later, though? ‘M really tired now.”

The mermaid sighed and swam closer, carefully avoiding the floating vomit. “Cupcake, how about you sleep at home, hm?” She gently stroked Laura’s cheek.

“Nooo.” Laura muttered as she leaned into the touch. “We need to talk, because I’m like…stupid drunk. We need to talk while I’m not drunk.”

Carmilla chuckled and nudged the sleepy blonde. “Cupcake, if you sleep here you’re gonna get sick.” When Laura stubbornly shook her head and refused to move the mermaid sighed. “Look, I promise we’ll talk if you come back tomorrow morning, okay?”

Laura pouted at the mermaid. “Can I kiss you again if I go home now and come back in the morning?”

“For the-Yes, fine, Laura.”

The next morning, Laura sat on the rocky outcropping for two hours before Carmilla turned up. The good news was that she wasn’t nervous. The bad news was that this was because she’d moved right past nervous into straight up terrified.

She had done just about everything to embarrass herself last night up to and including admitting her feelings to Carmilla. Which hadn’t even gotten her an answer, mind you. Now all she could do was sit here and wait, feeling like someone had taken a rusty drill to her temple.

She was never, ever drinking again.

Carmilla popped up with a splash. “Sorry, Cupcake.” She panted, brushing her hair out of her face. “Did I keep you waiting.”  
Laura gave her a wry smile. “Since when do you care?” The mermaid wasn’t exactly punctual by anyone’s standards but her own.

Carmilla arched a brow and chuckled. “Well, screw you too, Cupcake.” There was a short, tense silence before Carmilla spoke again. “You broke up with Xena.”

“Yes.” Laura nodded and a few strands of honey-blond hair slipped out of the messy bun she’d done when she’d stumbled out of bed that morning. “It was nice at first, but I don’t think we’re right for each other. At least, she’s not right for me.”

“And you kissed me.” Carmilla continued, completely ignoring Laura’s explanation.

The honey-blonde girl swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yes.” No point in lying about that, right?

Carmilla tilted her head, brows raised but her expression otherwise carefully blank. Laura thought she saw hope in those dark eyes, but quickly chastised herself for wishful thinking. “Why?” The dark-haired mermaid asked.

Laura thought about blaming it on the booze. She really, really thought about it. If nothing else, last night was plenty of proof that she had been drunk enough for profoundly stupid decisions. However, this was her one and possibly only shot.

How could she justify wasting it by lying? “Because I love you, Carmilla.” She sighed, locking eyes with her friend. “I don’t know when it happened, but I’m very much in love with you.” She laughed softly and shrugged. “Your stupid, snarky comments. Your unfairly gorgeous face. That amazing heart you claim not to have. Your smile. Your laugh. I’ve not gone a single day in months without thinking of you.”

The mermaid blinked rapidly a few times and cleared her throat. “Okay.” She took a deep breath and, to Laura’s surprise, turned and hoisted herself up on to the rocks. “Are you sure? I mean really sure.” She gave the blonde a hard look. “I know you’re not the type for a rebound, Cupcake, but you just broke up with the ginger giant. You can’t just…” Her voice cracked. “You can’t take something like this back, Laura.”

“I know.” Laura muttered, heart clenching at the uncertainty she saw in Carmilla’s eyes. “But Carm, I don’t want to be with you because things aren’t working with Danny. I want to be with you because I love you.”

Carmilla studied the distraught blonde’s face for a few minutes. What she was looking for Laura wasn’t sure, because eventually a brighter smile than she had ever seen on Carmilla spread over her face. “When do you graduate again?”

“I-What?” That was pretty much the last response Laura had been expecting. “In a few months, why?”

“Well…” Carmilla grinned at her, playing with the silver ring on her left hand. “I may need to practice with these for a while so I can be there.” She pressed the ring to her chest and muttered something in her native tongue. A bright, blue glow spread from the ring to Carmilla’s body and the mermaid gasped as it enveloped her.

Carmilla’s tail began to shrink and Laura nearly shrieked when it suddenly split in two, though Carmilla didn’t seem to be in pain. When the glow faded, Carmilla’s tail was gone and instead she had two slender human legs.

“Right, didn’t think I’d be naked, but okay.” The pale girl muttered, staring at her own legs as she wiggled her toes with a weird sort of fascination. She tried to climb to her feet, but her news limbs trembled and buckled as she tried to figure out how to use them.

Laura snapped out of her stunned daze and shot up. “Carm!” She rushed over to pull Carmilla to her feet, but the mermaid waved her off.

“Hang on, just let me…” With a lot of trial and error Carmilla finally managed to get her legs underneath her and took two wobbling steps towards Laura before she sort of fell into her. “So much for grace.” She grumbled, despite the smile on her face as she clung to Laura. “Hey, Cupcake.”

“I…you…” Laura stuttered, hands roaming Carmilla’s body as if it make sure she was really there. “I thought…You said you weren’t good at this.” She muttered, her mind spinning at a thousand miles per hour as she tried to get a grip on the situation.

“I’m not.” Carmilla shrugged, draping her arms over Laura’s shoulders and pulling her close. “Mother and Mattie are the only ones I know who can give themselves legs and that’s only for an hour at most.”

“So then how?” Laura asked, trying not to blatantly stare at Carmilla’s bare legged lower half.

Carmilla held up the ring. “I may have stolen this from Mother. It can keep me in this form for a few years before I have to spend some time in the sea.” She lowered her hand again and the mischievous grin made way for a serious look. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that, now that you’ve told me all of that, I’ll be damned if you just go off to some college and leave me behind.”

She paused and glanced over her shoulder at the sea. “Also, I really can’t go back because this might not be magical orbs capable of destroying the world, but I seriously doubt she’ll appreciate me stealing from her again.”

“Carmilla…” Laura cupped the pale girl’s cheek when she realized something. “Wait, orbs? Like the one you gave to me when we were kids?” Carmilla flinched and Laura’s eyes widened in shock. “Have I had a magical orb of destruction under my bed this whole time?!”

“Of course that’s what you took away from all of this.” Carmilla grumbled as she rolled her eyes. “It’s fine, Cupcake, you can’t flood the world unless you have all four and I hid the other three somewhere else.”

“That doesn’t make it better!” Laura yelled, still reeling. “Carmilla! What if someone saw me with that thing? What if I played with it? I swear, you couldn’t warn me or some-MPH” This time it was Carmilla’s turn to cut Laura off with a kiss.

This was one was softer than the others they had shared, though. It was slow and loving, taking the time to appreciate every touch and sigh they elicited from each other. Laura felt light and free and whole and if she had been worried about being able to function without Carmilla in her life before, she was fairly certain it was impossible now.

They were both breathless when they pulled back and a happy, smug little smile pulled at Carmilla’s lips. “Okay, apparently I have to spell it out for you. I love you too, Laura Hollis. I want to be with you.” She chuckled and gestured at her lower half. “Hence the legs.”

The blonde felt like her smile might split her face wide open. Carmilla wanted to be with her! Carmilla loved her! There were so many things she wanted to do and say, not the least of which was continue that kiss, but as was typically the case the first thing out of Laura’s mouth was a question. “Wow…So you’re human now, huh?”

Carmilla playfully rolled her eyes and leaned in again. “Uhuh. ” She muttered, kissing her way down Laura’s jawline to her neck. “And I know a beautiful island not far from here. It has this beautiful, white beach and it’s totally secluded.” She whispered, her voice like pure silk. “The only way it would be better is if you let me take you there so I can make you mine on that beach.”

Laura let out a low and hungry groan as her own legs grew almost as weak as Carmilla’s. “I’ll race you there.”

With a smile that promised all sorts of pleasure, Carmilla slipped back into the water and tugged the ring off. The moment she had her tail back, she took Laura’s hand and slipped the ring on the blonde’s finger.

“Why do I need this?” Laura asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Before he left her, my hypocrite of a mother made this for her human lover. The transformation goes both ways.” Carmilla explained, playing with Laura’s fingers. She looked up at her human and grinned. “If I have to deal with having legs, you get to deal with swimming with a tail.”

With a wink the mermaid vanished beneath the waves, leaving her bemused human on the shore. “You’re just getting a head start, no fair!” Laura called after her with a wide grin. She pressed the ring to her chest as Carmilla had done and something oddly cold raced through her. It was strange feeling, devoid of pain or discomfort, but not exactly pleasant either as she was reshaped like clay.

When the glow faded, Laura had a long, glittering silver tail. Trying to get a better look, she kept twisting in circles and she almost jumped when a hand ran up the length of it and stopped on her lower back.

“The point of a race is keeping up, Cupcake.” Carmilla drawled as she wrapped her arms around Laura’s waist from behind.  
“Oh, I’m sorry for needing time to adjust to a tail, Speed Racer.” Laura playfully shoved the mermaid. “Did I challenge you to a sprint on your newly acquired legs?”

Carmilla chuckled and began to guide Laura away from the beach. “Fine, fine, slow it is. Ready to swim with me?”

Laura smiled. “Lead the way…and don’t you dare swim near any sharks. I will freak out.”

Carmilla’s only response to that was to hum the Jaws theme until Laura shoved her underwater.

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was that, Creampuffs?
> 
> Like I said, the length got a bit out of hand, but it was actually like 2K longer. There was a lot of stuff related to what Carmilla’s mother planned to do and a few things about the orb Carmilla stole from her mother affecting Laura in a number of ways.
> 
> They were kinda cool…and some were kinda stupid, but either way they just didn’t add much in the end.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think and keep an eye out for the last two fics, Creampuffs!


End file.
